1. Field
The following description relates to a rechargeable battery, and more particularly, to a rechargeable battery having a flexible property.
2. Description of the Related Art
With advancement of technologies for mobile devices, a demand for rechargeable batteries as an energy source has been increasing. A rechargeable battery differs from a primary battery in that it can be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the latter is incapable of being recharged.
One of the important aspects in manufacturing rechargeable batteries is energy density. Particularly, rechargeable batteries used in small electronic devices are embedded in the electronic devices to be used as a power source.
In this case, a volume or capacity and a form factor of the power source are determined since a size of the electronic device is limited and is set (e.g., predetermined) in terms of a design specification. As such, according to a down-sizing trend of information technology (IT) devices, a size of the power source also has to become smaller.
However, consumers demand that the rechargeable battery should last longer and capacity should increase despite a reduced size. That is, a volumetric energy density should be increased. Accordingly, any unnecessary space in the rechargeable battery should be reduced to provide for a compact size. Furthermore, with the development of flexible electronic devices, the rechargeable battery should also have a flexible characteristic.
A pouch rechargeable battery (i.e., a battery in a pouch form) having a flexible characteristic has been developed. The pouch rechargeable battery includes: an electrode assembly formed by stacking a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode to perform charging and discharging operations; a pouch in which the electrode assembly is accommodated; and electrode tabs through which the electrode assembly is drawn out of the pouch.
An electrolyte solution is provided in an empty space between the electrode assembly and the pouch, and a vacuum state is maintained inside the rechargeable battery to reduce or minimize an overall volume.
However, since the flexible rechargeable battery is exposed to repeated bending operations, loosely coupled parts may be broken when a bending stress is applied to the pouch rechargeable battery.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.